Date: 2015-05-14

Kwara State Government in its bid to protect its environment, ensure its aesthetics and beauty of the state in the year 2010 came up with introduction of an agency, the State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KWASSA) saddled with the responsibility of maintaining a beautified environment so as to make it attractive to the would be visitors to the state.

The law establishing the agency prescribes that corporate bodies, individuals, religious organisations including political parties, having outdoor structures register with the agency in line with the current global trends and standard practices.

However, as observed over the years, the agency has been unable to perform its statutory responsibilities due to some circumstances one might say are beyond its control. To this end, the whole state, especially the state capital, continues to witness mass mounting of illegal billboards and indiscriminate pasting of posters across the length and breadth of the city. Unfortunately, the act is seen to have been perpetrated for so long.

Meanwhile, the situation, it is noted was worse towards the last general elections. This is because politicians would just wake up in a day and engage some individuals to paste posters and mount billboards of various sizes not minding the effect on the environment. Sometimes, the billboards are erected very close to the road thus obstructing free flow of traffic in the affected areas or obstructing view of motorists, which could lead to accidents.

Also, some of the materials used in making several billboards such as poles and other tools are sub-standard, this is the reason many of them fell by the road side whenever there is windstorm or rainstorm. There have been several occasions when billboards would fall on the roads thereby obstructing vehicular movement and creating nuisance to the public that is apart from the inherent danger to pedestrians.  

As beautiful as posters and billboards might be, its cluster makes for an unbecoming sight to behold.

Presently, several roundabouts in the state capital are a gory sight as they have been defaced with posters and billboards of either political parties or religious organisations. Hardly, could a new comer in the state capital identify what these roundabouts represent within their areas of location let alone appreciate the beauty and messages they bore to be appealing to passers-by.

Though, the agency was positioned to deal with issues regarding advertisement that had to do with posters pasting and billboards erection, which mandates interested individuals, groups, political associations, religious and corporate organisations to get clearance from the agency, the reverse has been the case.        

Meanwhile, investigations by National Pilot revealed that majority of the posters seen at various locations are often pasted at nights by those engaged to do so. They chose night time to do the job in order not to be apprehended while perpetrating the indiscriminate act. Same applies for billboards erected at different locations, especially within the Ilorin metropolis.

Equally, the Flyover at the Post Office area of Ilorin has been defaced with posters of various political parties, religious organisations and individuals. The situation is the same in various areas earmarked by government to beautify the state capital.

And despite the fact that elections have come and gone, various political posters and billboards mounted before the polls are still at different locations within the metropolis, thus they continue to constitute nuisance to aesthetics of the city.

However, in order to checkmate the trend and reclaim the city’s beauty, the agency saddled with the responsibility, which seems to have woken up from its slumber on Tuesday, began operations to remove every illegal billboards in the state capital.

On why they are embarking on the exercise on Tuesday while speaking with National Pilot, the General Manager, Kwara State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KWASSAA), Alhaji Hammed Olufadi lamented the situation, saying that majority of billboards placed and posters in the state are non-conforming with the Act establishing KWASSAA and as amended.

Olufadi, who decried the non-compliance of political parties, religious leaders and individuals in particular, to the agency laws, frowned at the flagrant abuse of environment by defacing it with billboards and posters without the agency’s authorisation.

He, therefore, warned that the agency would not hesitate to clamp down on those mounting billboards and pasting posters in the state, explaining that the agency aside from regulating and sanitise public advertisements in the state, is also bound to generate revenue for government.

On the efforts of the agency to sensitise the public, the general manager said further that the agency had on many occasions embarked on sensitisation to create awareness about KWASSAA’s operation.

He added that the agency has in the past two years carried out several advocacies to make citizens see reasons why they should contact them on outdoor advertisement, stressing that henceforth, the agency would begin the prosecution of offenders.

However, the agency head explained that before now, KWASSAA could not operate fully, particularly during electioneering as various meanings would be deduced for their operation but it’s prepared to do its work now since elections are over regardless of what people think or say.

The general manager disclosed that the law establishing the agency stated clearly that 10 days after elections, if the political billboards are not removed by their respective owners they risk losing it to KWASSAA.

Olufadi further explained that the agency was introduced in order to sanitise the society and protect its aesthetics, stating that if the environment is not organised and preserved, the would-be investors would be discouraged in investing in the state.

Some of the challenges facing the agency, according to him, is that many people are not interested in obeying the laws while financial problem has also been hindering its operation.

He added that majority of the billboards mounted are sub-standard, meanwhile, there is a section in KWASSAA where any interested individual could come and they would recommend good materials for them.     

Efforts of the agency is no doubt commended as it would go a long way in ridding the society of illegal billboards and indiscriminate posters while at the same time enhances the community’s beauty.   

It is incumbent on KWASSAA to as well shift its focus to other major communities in the state where such is the case rather than solely concentrating on the state capital.

Also, it is an avenue for the state government to generate funds to be able to embark on several projects that would have positive impact on the people. It is time for interested individuals, groups, political association, corporate organisations and religious bodies to change with time by ensuring that the right thing is done to protect the environment.

Equally, it is noted that unless the agency take the bull by the horns to prosecute owners of the affected posters and billboards, the abuse would continue at the detriment of the city’s beauty, which the state government has spent lot of money to protect over the years.